Here’s Jerry! – The Genius of Jerry Herman

Any one of Jerry Herman’s hit Broadway shows – Hello Dolly, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles – would guarantee his Broadway immortality, but his career extended beyond this trio of hits. Herman was a throwback to an earlier era when showtunes had a life beyond the theatre. This was especially true of any songs that were easily hummable, and Herman was a master of the very melodic, yet high quality, tune. We’ll also explore themes from his shows that resonated at the time but might be controversial today. This seminar looks at Herman’s hits and misses, including Mack and Mabel and Dear World among others, through film clips and recordings.

Group Leader: Bradford Conner & Benjamin Sears
Venue: The Engineering Center
Meets on: Wednesday 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Starting: April 8
Sessions: 6
Class Size: 25
Teaching Style:
Weekly Preparation:
Bradford Conner and Benjamin Sears have been performing together since 1989 and lecture regularly on the music they perform. Conner and Sears are leading scholars of Irving Berlin, having recorded six CDs of his songs and contributed articles about Berlin and other Great American Songbook songwriters to numerous scholarly publications. Sears, a graduate of Ithaca College and editor of The Irving Berlin Reader, contributed a chapter to the book Adapting the Wizard of Oz: Musical Versions from Baum to MGM and Beyond, and is in the early stages of developing The Fred Astaire Reader. A graduate of West Virginia University, Conner also studied at the University of Salzburg (Austria) and the American College of Salzburg. A “Renaissance individual” with degrees in business, musicology, and foreign language, he has lectured and written on his interests in music and world history. Both opera and history lovers, Conner and Sears have taught numerous courses at Beacon Hill Seminars and are recipients of the Jack Curtin Award.